“News” on a border poll is rarely actual news - nationalists put out constant UI stories for 3 reasons: - they think keeping UI constantly in news creates (false) sense of inevitability - they think the “story” has to keep swimming or it sinks - displacement activity: sthg to do.

Man City generated 114 charges from 115(xG)

So…… Let’s talk. How many Premier League titles have I won then? 🤔

I have just watched Michelle O’Neill and Mary Lou McDonald from Sinn Fein outside the High Court in Belfast this evening. This is a time for calm heads, not political rants. This is a time to show leadership, not to wind up the community. I have been appalled to see those who have decided to ramp up tensions, and dial up the rhetoric throughout today including senior Sinn Fein representatives on the decision by the Parades Commission to grant a very modest walk on the Garvaghy Road at 8am on Sunday morning. Michelle O’Neill should be dialling down the temperature, not giving stump speeches. Regardless if someone agrees with the decision or not, all should be calming things down. The behaviour of Sinn Fein at the very prospect of 35 men walking down a road at 8am on a Sunday morning, a parade that would take just moments to pass any point, says all you need to know about a “shared Ireland”. The Portadown Orangemen have made clear there is absolutely no threat nor violence. There is nothing to fear from them and absolutely nothing to be apprehensive about. Sinn Fein need to dial the anti-Unionist, anti-British sentiment and show leadership and encourage calm.

So much for the Fleadh spirit eh … PUL culture still treated like the dirt on their shoe even by SDLP

She says, in front of a PIRA mural

Thoughts on the Manchester City story. The immediate reaction was to check the fixtures and see who they are playing next. Liverpool. Away. The Kop is going to be in particularly strident voice. Even if City appeal this devastating judgement on financial breaches, the court of terrace opinion across football will still be a chorus of disapproval. Anger is in the air – at the alleged offences and the time taken for judgement to be reached. And that anger, mixed in with a large pouring of schadenfreude will be heard. Especially as Liverpool missed out on a title and a League Cup to City in the period under review. This is not yet full-time in the seismic meeting of the Premier League versus City. There may even be extra time if City, as expected, appeal the independent panel’s judgement on the majority of the financial charges laid against them. Once more unto the breach, m’learned friends? City have 14 days to appeal the judgement but it could be months before it is heard. As City can’t then appeal to CAS under PL rules, this long, expensive, exhaustive legal process is at least nearing an end and the result, pending any appeal, is a nightmare for City. This, also, is a problem for Government, given City’s Abu Dhabi ownership and the UK’s trading and diplomatic links with the UAE. There should, of course, be questions asked about those in power at City if they’re found culpable of these breaches. Fit and proper? There could, of course, be individual claims by clubs denied trophies and relegated clubs citing points lost to City and the financial cost of relegation. The ramifications of the judgement are deep and wide. City’s reaction may prove to look for every avenue of potential recourse, whether to do with time taken, procedure, legal niceties, whatever. City have consistently and vigorously claimed their innocence, and spent 10s of millions on their defence, so it is hard to see them going quietly into the night. But if their appeal fails they clearly merit the most severe of sanctions. People talk about large fines. Pointless against mega-rich clubs. People talk about transfer bans. Have you seen the size of City’s squad? The average age of their players? (25). And the quality of their academy? Even if some players push to leave, or rival clubs seek to take their players (Real Madrid will surely be on alert), City will still not be short of talent. If it is confirmed that City broke the rules on an industrial scale than the only suitable punishment is expulsion from the Premier League. If this seems harsh on City’s fans, then consider the thoughts and feelings of fans of other clubs, who played by the rules. It is important to note that this is different to the oft-stated case of Swindon Town being relegated two divisions in 1990 for irregular payments (later reduced to one). The four-division Football League was a single entity then. The Premier League and EFL are separate competitions with different rules. Anyway, if City were relegated to League One, as some critics desire, how would that be fair on one of the teams rising from League Two being denied promotion? It seems to me that the suitable sanction, if the appeal fails, is a 50-point punishment to be imposed for this season, in all likelihood guaranteeing relegation. City would then have to fight their way back, and some of the fans might enjoy the journey (no VAR, hurrah). Older City fans can recall fighting up the pyramid from lower. But on their return City should then start their subsequent two seasons in the Premier League with a 20-point handicap. This has to be a sustained as well as severe punishment. Other punishments? If City’s appeal fails, there will be calls for the eight trophies won during the period in question, 2009-2018, to be wiped and/or handed over to the runners-up. Standing to gain are Manchester United (twice) and Liverpool in the three title races; Stoke City in the FA Cup; Sunderland, Liverpool and Arsenal in the League Cup; as well as Chelsea in the Community Shield. Do these potential recipients even want the trophies, the sky blue ribbons discreetly removed? They have every cause to feel angry but my hunch is that many fans will simply be content with having the honours stripped from City, wiped from their records, a blank space left in the record books. An accusing asterix for all time. Even with fans innately defiant, City enter a dark period. Every press conference with Enzo Maresca will have a sub-text. In every interview with a player lurks have a painful question. Those many, many good staff at the club with nothing to do with any wrongdoing, totally blameless individuals, will feel the tension and the criticism. Fans who love the club will doubtless back them. It’s what fans do. The Premier League's image as a competition has been damaged by this. The Premier League's image as an organisation capable of strong governance has been enhanced by this. The oft-criticised CEO Richard Masters deserves praise for his persistence and patience. But, beginning at Anfield and continuing, this story really isn’t quite close to full-time yet.

The elephant in the room for the PL of course is it’s obviously now impossible to continue to allow the City owners to own and operate a PL football club.

Brilliant, excoriating piece

“The orange tradition across this island has been about one thing and one thing only. It’s been about walking past our houses to remind us who’s in charge”, says leading new Ireland advocate and SDLP MP.

Send this to every Man City fan you know. #115

one of the 21st century's great tragedies is that millions of smart people were convinced to bury their heads in the sand by either stochastic parrots discourse or Zitron-style capabilities denialism and haven't updated based on new evidence. nature is healing but it's so late.

I’m upping my p(doom) after listening to this interview in full. Jensen may have once been a great engineer, but he comes across as completely ignorant and shows a shocking lack of awareness about recent AI Incidents and, frankly, the capabilities of LLMs in late 2026

The comments on the Ezra Klein / Jensen Huang interview are maybe the most negative I've ever seen, on both the NY Times website and YouTube. I've scanned through, like, 100 negative ones and am yet to find a positive one. Here's a sample.

Thoughts with Butler’s victims.

The trans debate in @LibDems has left the party moribund and it certainly contributed to my decision to leave. I witnessed people who disagreed on sex and gender subjected to appalling hostility, name-calling and even physical aggression, while attempts to focus the party on the huge political opportunity of undoing Brexit went nowhere. You don’t build a liberal movement by deciding that speaking to people with whom you disagree makes you guilty by association. Supporting the dignity and safety of trans people should not require women to surrender every concern about sex-based rights. And defending women’s rights should never require hostility towards trans people. Yet inside the Lib Dems, I was personally targeted and labelled simply because I spoke to members of @LibVoice4Women ‼️ Liberalism requires the ability to disagree and still talk to one another. When a liberal party protects intolerance of legitimate disagreement, it has lost sight of liberalism itself.

Stop treating the adult population like children and stop allowing adults who behave like despotic toddlers to decree what the rest of us are allowed to watch.

Yet our First Minister tells us there was no alternative. @SJAMcBride in the @BelTel

A 🧵 in answer to an otherwise v decent Alliance guy, but who is defending their leader's continuing attachment to really problematic gender ideology precepts. @SeeRedWoman1 @ni_wrn @HJoyceGender @SexMattersOrg @JonBurrowsMLA

Great way to start your Monday morning. Hope it’s on Sky.